Along the lines of my "it's not about the gear" principle that I believe in so much nowadays (believe me, it took years to drum that into my head), this is a quick tutorial on how to use an IKEA lampshade for an unusually simple product photography setup and covers both the shooting and the retouching for the example photos.
The Concept
Essentially you are creating a light tent with this new modifier and shooting down from the top using the lampshade as a light tent.
Obviously this works for items that fit within the Melodi and are of such size the focal length of your chosen lens can see the entire item. Shooting straight down from your tripod, I highly recommend a wireless trigger as I discussed before which my favorite one can be found here.
The wonderful thing about our industry is that often very unusual items can produce world class results when we allow ourselves to think outside the box. It really is true that the equipment doesn't make the photo, a skilled photographer can and does use a wide variety of items to produce the desired result.
What unusual items have you used with success in creating beautiful images?
I have a Vello FreeWave Plus wireless remote but it's kind of iffy. Can you verify the one you recommend is more dependable?
pocket wizard
A bit expensive to only occasionally use as a shutter trigger, though.
plus x used from eBay.
Thanks!
Or if the nearest ikea is 4 hours away (like it is for me), you can tape two pieces of printer paper into a cylinder and do the same thing for even cheaper.
Like this...
...or better yet, use a tracing paper...